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Hunting|
October 31, 2011

Eat, Prey, Love

For decades, a treasured plot of Hill Country land meant one thing to the men in my family: a chance to kill lots of deer. Today, it means something different.

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Outdoors 101

Nothing marks an expert camper more than a mastery of the essential skills, so study up on these backwoods tricks before your next expedition.

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Chinati Mountains

Where it is: 20 miles north of PresidioWhat you’ll do: Explore remote West Texas by Jeep and on footWhere you’ll sleep: In one of five cabins built by the former ownersWhat you’ll learn: Legend has it that the name is Apache for “pass,” but no one knows for sure

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Bastrop

Where it is: 1 mile east of BastropWhat you’ll do: Hike through a pine forestWhere you’ll sleep: In a charming historic cabinWhat you’ll learn: Pine trees can live more than three hundred years If there has ever been an enchanted forest in Texas, the Lost Pines Forest would be

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Enchanted Rock

Where it is: 24 miles south of Llano What you’ll do: Climb a 425-foot batholith in the middle of the Hill Country Where you’ll sleep: Three primitive camping areas for those who like to get away from it allWhat you’ll learn: The name is thought to come from the Tonkawa,

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Garner

Where it is: 33 miles north of UvaldeWhat you’ll do: Float, eat, and danceWhere you’ll sleep: The cabins and campsites in Old Garner are much sought-after. Book early—but bring earplugsWhat you’ll learn: The proper way to two-step Garner State Park’s charms are no secret. In fact, it is arguably

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Brazos Bend

Where it is: 28 miles southwest of HoustonWhat you’ll do: See more waterfowl than you thought existedWhere you’ll sleep: In a tent under tall elm treesWhat you’ll learn: If the alligator is hissing, you’re too close (trust me) Even if this park consisted only of the rectangle of forest

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Travel & Outdoors|
May 31, 2011

Balmorhea

Where it is: In Toyahvale, 192 miles east of El PasoWhat you’ll do: Bask in the splendor of West TexasWhere you’ll sleep: In a comfy bed in a historic lodge or innWhat you’ll learn: How about scuba diving? The pool at Balmorhea is the best freshwater diving in Texas. Contact

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Bentsen–Rio Grande

Where it is: 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Dr., MissionWhat you’ll do: Look at birds. Eat. Look at birds. Sleep. Look at birdsWhere you’ll sleep: Book a spot at a local RV parkWhat you’ll learn: Chachalacas are named for their call, a rowdy cha-cha-lacWe imagine that a lot of people visit

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Ray Roberts Lake

Where it is: 10 miles north of Denton What you’ll do: Biking, horseback riding, and kayak­ing, but don’t forget to stop and watch the sunset Where you’ll sleep: Camp near the water’s edge, which is close to numerous sites in Quail Run What you’ll learn: How to speak mountain-biker, as

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Caprock Canyons

Where it is: 3.5 miles north of QuitaqueWhat you’ll do: Hike the rough breaks between the Caprock and the Rolling PlainsWhere you’ll sleep: In your tent at the mouth of South Prong CanyonWhat you’ll learn: The park is home to the state’s official bison herdThe colors are what strike you at Caprock Canyons

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Feature|
May 31, 2011

Huntsville

Where it is: 6 miles southwest of Huntsville What you’ll do: Relax and unwind under the East Texas pines Where you’ll sleep: Claim your spot in one of five serene camping areas What you’ll learn: Want to fish but don’t know how? Register for one of the TPWD’s Go Fish!

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Rick Bass|
January 1, 2011

Stuck Truck

The mud was deep and wet and cold and there was nothing to do but dig. And dig. And dig.

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The Culture|
October 31, 2010

Mike Wheat, Game Warden

Wheat was born in Pasadena and grew up near Cuero. After graduating from college and the Texas Game Warden Training Center, he was stationed in Tyler County for five years before transferring to Ochiltree and Hansford counties in 1996. He lives in Perryton.I credit my dad with my love for

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Rick Bass|
August 31, 2010

Fish Story

One more trip—would it be the last?—to Toledo Bend Reservoir with my dad.

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Feature|
July 31, 2010

On the Road—Westbound and Down

Most vacations in Texas mean filling up the gas tank and logging long hours on the highway. Yet whether it’s a classic buddy trip or a full-blown family vacation, the charms of the open road remain. May it always be so.

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Travel & Outdoors|
July 31, 2010

Port Aransas Waves Hello

In Port Aransas, idleness is next to godliness for those on vacation. In this unpretentious village on the northern tip of Mustang Island your most exacting task—picking out the perfect spot on the beach—will also be the most rewarding. Who cares if the sand isn’t pristine (this is Texas,

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Travel & Outdoors|
July 31, 2010

Hill Country Map Quest

When it comes to choosing a getaway, the Hill Country doesn’t have to campaign hard for our affections. Its lush expanses of bounding green hills and serpentine rivers stretch over some 25 of the most idyllic counties in the state. And those picturesque towns that cling proudly to their

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The Culture|
June 30, 2010

How to Windsurf

The Laguna Madre, near Corpus Christi’s Padre Island National Seashore, is known as one of the nation’s best windsurfing sites because of its shallow waters and consistent breeze. It’s also a perfect spot for beginners, says Angela Hurley, an instructor for Worldwinds, a local windsurf shop. “With good instruction, the

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Travel & Outdoors|
April 30, 2010

Mystic Rivers

Where does the Pecos River originate? How long is the Devils River? What river in Texas is used to cool nuclear reactors? Everything you wanted to know about some of our state's waterways.

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April 30, 2010

San Marcos River

Watch out for sunken logs and fallen trees, which rest in the river like sleeping monsters in tangle of smaller deadwood.

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river trips texas
Travel & Outdoors|
April 30, 2010

Go With the Flow

Throw a canoe on the roof or a tube in the trunk and head for the Llano, the Brazos, the Pecos, the Trinity, the Guadalupe, or any of the other rivers on this list of the twenty best trips to take on Texas waterways this summer.

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The Culture|
June 30, 2009

How to Pack a Cooler Tube

Some things never change, like the irrepressible desire to float a Hill Country river on a 100-degree day—with, most naturally, a cooler of beer. And while the basic art of loading one’s booze boat also remains the same (use a separate inner tube with a bottom, pump it with extra

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The Culture|
October 31, 2008

Bill Applegate, Trapper

Applegate was raised near El Paso. He is a full-time predator-control trapper on ranches in Big Bend. For the past ten years, he has served as the president of the Texas Trappers and Fur Hunters Association. He lives in Marfa.When I was eight years old, I was in my grandpa’s

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Travel & Outdoors|
July 31, 2008

Springs Eternal

Grab your towel, your sunscreen, and go! Presenting our 25 favorite swimming holes: Barton Springs, Blue Hole, Balmorhea, and other iconic places to lower your core temperature. At least for a couple of hours.

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The Culture|
June 30, 2008

Kevin Hutchison, Fly-fishing Guide

Hutchison, standing, owns Hill Country Flyfishers and is the fly-fishing manager at Sportsman’s Finest, in Austin, where he has lived for twenty-plus years. He guides more than one hundred trips a year, helping clients catch a variety of bass, trout, and perch.Fly-fishing in Texas is underappreciated. When people think of

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Feature|
October 31, 2007

The Old Man and the River

Fifty years after the mythical trip on the Brazos that was the basis for John Graves’s classic book, I followed in his wake. Literally.

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Travel & Outdoors|
May 31, 2006

Water, Water Everywhere

From kayaking on Town Lake to mountain biking around Joe Pool Lake, from bass fishing on Lake Fork to horseback riding on the shores of Lake Whitney, here are some of our favorite things to do in, on, and around Texas lakes.

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Feature|
April 30, 2006

Wings

At the Houston Museum of Natural Science, butterflies are free (sort of).

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Business|
February 1, 2006

The Man In the White Hat

To hear John Poindexter tell it, he’s one of the good guys—a faithful steward of his West Texas land and therefore a worthy bidder for 46,000 acres of Big Bend Ranch State Park. But sometimes having your heart in the right place simply isn’t enough.

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Web Exclusive|
September 30, 2005

Pedal Pushers

Contributing photographer Wyatt McSpadden, who shot this month’s feature “Tour de Texas,” describes how a plum assignment became a poignant father-son journey.

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scorpion sting
Critters|
September 30, 2004

Case by Case

What to do in ten more worst-case scenarios, from getting bitten by a brown recluse to getting caught in a dust storm.

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Web Exclusive|
June 30, 2004

Cave Clan

As Natural Bridge Caverns celebrates forty years since its dedication, its patron family looks back on three generations of cave life.

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Web Exclusive|
March 1, 2004

Happy Campers

Suzy Banks, Stacy Hollister, and Charlie Llewellin discuss this month's cover story, "This Land Is Your Land."

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Web Exclusive|
March 1, 2004

Call of the Wild

Seven images and captions—from the campsite to the view from the rim—show how executive editor S. C. "Sam" Gwynne spent seven days alone on the Solitario.

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Critters|
March 1, 2004

Conversations With a Grasshopper

To experience the majesty and peril of the desert on my own terms, I spent a week alone in the Solitario, the most remote area of Big Bend Ranch State Park. I confronted my darkest fears—and made small talk with an insect.

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Great Outdoors|
February 1, 2004

Arrested Development

The flat-as-a-mouse-pad landscape bordering the Laguna Madre contains one of the greatest wildlife-viewing regions in North America—and that's not all.

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